Rehabilitation & Betterment Program

10-Year Capital Improvement Program: Executive Summary

The purpose of the 10-Year Capital Improvement Program (Program) is to provide management and staff with a realistic set of functional goals for Solano Irrigation District (District) that outlines the funding and replacement of the aging infrastructure while encompassing a modernization and water efficiency approach using the latest appropriate technology available.

The Program is comprised of rehabilitation/betterment and capital improvement projects for four (4) different groups: the District, Improvement Districts/Areas, Suisun-Solano Water Authority and Dixon-Solano Water Authority.

The Program is a living document annually reviewed and revised to meet the current and foreseeable future needs of the infrastructure both from a financial and operational stand point.

The Program is evolving from reactive to proactive. The original R&B plan’s project base has been expanded and tentatively scheduled out for the next ten (10) years. From a planning perspective, this allows staff to organize and schedule construction projects that follow a logical and systematical method of replacement.

The 10-year schedule can be divided into three (3) levels of scheduling confidence: 1-3 years, 4-6 years and 7-10 years.

1-3 years: These projects are firm in scheduling and necessity, but allow minor reshuffling in years 2 and 3.

4-6 years: These projects are less firm in their scheduling, but still require replacement or construction. They could be moved up or down due to their probability of failure and on annual maintenance and repair needs.

7-10 years: These projects are “horizon projects”. These could include large capital projects that require additional funding or other projects to be completed prior to their replacement or construction.

The current year (1st year) projects are chosen based on probability of failure and consequence of failure while still remaining within the available annual budget. Engineering and Operations staff meet to discuss and confirm the chosen projects; allowing both parties to be on the same page and minimize the “surprise” projects that have emerged in previous years.
The projects are listed in a spreadsheet that is divided into the different replacement or improvement categories. Each project has an estimated preliminary budget and schedule.

Initially each project is given a pre-design 40% construction contingency for unexpected costs; after design the contingency is lowered to 10-20% depending on the complexity of the project. The conservative construction contingency may seem excessive, but it ensures adequate funding for unforeseen design, scope and engineering changes to the project.

Each project in the Program has a detail sheet and location map. The sheet lists the proposed year of construction, service area, brief project scope, any changes to the scope and a breakdown of the project’s funding source.

The Program is a functional incremental projection tool to be used for the coordinated effort to systematically replace and improve the District’s aging infrastructure.